‘Liturgy’ is the word ‘worship’. But while worship can be done privately, ‘liturgy’ is always a public, group activity.
A working definition of ‘liturgy’ that is helpful is ‘The official, public worship of the Church’.
Some of the best-known forms of liturgy in the Roman Catholic Church are:
- Mass (or Eucharist)
- Baptism
- Confirmation
- Marriage
- Funerals
- Penance (or Confession)
In the Catholic Church, we worship using forms and patterns of worship that have developed during the Church’s 2000-year history. Every day of the year falls into a particular place into the church’s liturgical calendar, and certain scripture readings and prayers are assigned for use at Mass each day. The celebration of the rites of Baptism, Marriage, Funerals and so on are set out in the Church’s ritual of books.
Liturgy is always an action, something we do. It is a public action, a ritual action, and a symbolic action. It is the proclamation of the word that God speaks to us; it is in the breaking of the bread that we recognise Christ. We participate in the action of the liturgy by responding, singing, listening and joining the gestures.
Today's Liturgy
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Tuesday of the Twenty-seventh week in Ordinary Time
Letter to the Galatians 1,13-24.
and progressed in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my race, since I was even more a zealot for my ancestral traditions.
But when (God), who from my mother's womb had set me apart and called me through his grace, was pleased
to reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him to the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult flesh and blood,
nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; rather, I went into Arabia and then returned to Damascus.
Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to confer with Kephas and remained with him for fifteen days.
But I did not see any other of the apostles, only James the brother of the Lord.
(As to what I am writing to you, behold, before God, I am not lying.)
Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.
And I was unknown personally to the churches of Judea that are in Christ;
they only kept hearing that "the one who once was persecuting us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy."
So they glorified God because of me.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 10,38-42.
She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me."
The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her."
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
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